Route 66 Dinner & Movie Series: Bagdad Cafe

No American road is as iconic as Route 66. Starting in Chicago, Illinois, and snaking cross-country to Santa Monica, California, Route 66 originally consisted of 2,448 miles of highway, rich with neon-lit motels, quirky roadside attractions, and stretches of deserted landscape. With such a wealth of inspiration, it is no surprise that so many filmmakers have used Route 66 as a backdrop for their films.

Concluding the series is Bagdad Café on Monday, November 24 at 6 p.m. This 1987 film, also known as Out of Rosenheim, is a German comedy-drama set in a remote truck-stop café and motel in the Mojave Desert in California. The story centers on two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the friendship that grows between them. The setting of this film, Bagdad, California, is a former town on Route 66, which was abandoned and eventually razed after being bypassed by Interstate 40 in 1973. The film is rated PG and 91 minutes. Library programs are free and open to the public; a meal will be provided.